Ocklawaha south from Silver River during Drawdown

Okay, so let's talk alligators... on the Ock;awaha River south of Silver River.First, let me say: this was the first time I'd kayaked this section of the Ocklawaha, having only gone north toward Gore's Landing on prior trips. But mostly, when I launch my boat at Ray's Wayside Park it's to paddle up to the head springs and back on the Silver River. So, this was a new adventure for me and I was amazed at how many alligators were on the sunny side of the river so early in the day. The shaded side of the river had plenty of wildlife to keep me and my camera busy, but I was fascinated with the sunny side's offerings.The morning wildlife review was mostly alligators still sporting their yellow stripes. We found them to be a bit camera shy - leaving us to only guess at their age as they avoided further scrutiny by sliding back into the water. Things got more interesting, however, on the way back to Ray's Wayside Park when the REEEEEEALLY BIG alligators started appearing on both sides of the river. One was so large that he could only get the upper portion of his body out of the water. I've included a photo... check out his huge 'double-chin' - seriously. Another alligator's teeth was so white it looked like he'd been using Crest White Strips. It was quite the variety on display. One must wonder how many were below the surface that we couldn't see...Here's the part where I mention again how much I love my zoom lens and for you to understand that it's not for fear of the huge prehistoric creatures, but to avoid spending a lot of time and energy traversing back and forth across the river to digitally capture these amazing beasts. I should also mention the river is very wide and straight so returning for another paddle would be best done in the winter or on a cloudy day for those who prefer not to see alligators or bake in the hot Florida sun. And when it comes to alligators... "what you don't see won't hurt you"  - or better: "Out of sight, out of mind."Keeping the dry-side up

Source: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1458664

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